I had already been planning to go to Comic-Con for all four days after ruefully missing the opportunity to buy tickets in 2009. So, when my boyfriend found out he could get free four-day professional passes, I was thrilled.
I had already been planning to go to Comic-Con for all four days after ruefully missing the opportunity to buy tickets in 2009. So, when my boyfriend found out he could get free four-day professional passes, I was thrilled.
Wednesday night found us picking up our passes and admiring the giant Skyline and Scott Pilgrim posters plastered on the hotels in downtown San Diego. Highlight: Free tacos from the Taco Bell truck!
Thursday was my first day in the convention center. It was my first Comic-Con ever, so what better place to start than the exhibit hall? What a universe of comic books, movies, games, costumes, toys, fanboys, and all things geeky! I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of comic-related gadgets available for purchase, and realized that even I was far less nerdy than those picking through bins of silver age comics and buying posable plastic Green Lantern action figures.
I went to a few seminars, but none of them trumped the delightful geeky chaos of the exhibit hall. I was most tempted by the modded steampunk ray guns and replica District 9 guns at the Weta Workshop booth (they got famous doing props and costumes for The Lord of the Rings trilogy). Highlight: Participating in the counter-protest of the Westboro Baptist Church insanity. Because we all know God hates Jedi?!?
Friday is the best day of the con, according to my boyfriend, and I must agree. Everything is in full swing, all the hardcore people are there, and nobody’s tired of partying. I went to an awesome seminar on Action Chicks in movies, and got to see Cindy Morgan from the first TRON and Clare Kramer who played the Season 5 boss “Glory” in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Highlight: Buying a package of Dinosaur Comics buttons from a random dude wearing the wrong nametag, only to find out he was actually Ryan North, author of said Dinosaur Comics.
Saturday was a day for good seminars. I went to several on webcomics, as that’s where my interests lie. I also got serious about finding presents for people – a Girl Genius pin for my mom, an exclusive Comic-Con prerelease Yoda thumb drive for my dad, a Sandman comic for my brother, and a 1-up mushroom Mario hat for my sister. Every find is like solving a puzzle between you, the person you’re thinking of, and the massive merchandise floor. Highlight: Genuine writing advice from a panel of successful indie comic authors. Their advice is to only write awesome scenes, then connect them however you need to.
Sunday is family day, so I sat in on two excellent drawing seminars aimed at kids. I learned expert techniques for drawing realistically muscled monsters and for drawing emotional expressions in the anime style, which I’m sure will come in handy sometime… eventually… right? I finished up the con by attending the Buffy Musical sing-along (recently rescued from litigation by Fox). Highlight: Being handed a parking ticket at the sing-along that had a checkbox for whether my car was haunted.
I tried to get into a few of the more up-and-coming panels, but quickly found out that waiting for an hour to hear what Joss Whedon and J. J. Abrams have to say about the future of entertainment won’t get you anywhere – you need to wait for at least two or three. So for that sort of news, you’ll have to fend for yourselves. But if you love sci-fi movies, want to shake Buddy Jesus’ hand as he counter-protests the Westboro Baptists, or half-cringe at the sight of grown men dressed up as Sailor Moon, I’m here to say: Comic-Con rocks!
— Sharon Campbell
